It’s the season finale of “Project Runway,” folks, and we’re down to the final four. Helen was eliminated last week, which took some serious competition off the table, but that doesn’t seem to quell anyone’s nerves too much. Poor Justin can’t stop shaking even in the little confessionals.

The final challenge calls for the designers to create a machine washable garment that will show alongside their finished line. They begin sewing and, at least in Justin and Alexandria’s cases, try to be mindful of the feedback they received last week. Justin attempts to tame his models’ too-crazy-hairdos while Alexandria tries to inject some wow-factor into her line.

When Tim comes around to check in, he sees that Alexandria is still pretty rattled from her harsh judges’ critique (if you remember, Nina was not a fan). She starts panicking, and at the last minute, even decides to remake an entire shirt from her collection. Tim advises her to take a deep breath and focus on correcting the elements that drew criticism from the judges panel. Even if the judges don’t end up loving the final products, he reasons, they’ll appreciate that she took their feedback seriously. Hi, Tim, can we put you in our pocket and carry you through life’s biggest obstacles?

As their time in the studio winds down, Tim gives them one last speech. Of course it brings everyone to tears, but he doesn’t stop before giving them one final push. “What I love about this,” he tells them, “is that it’s anyone’s game.”

On the morning of their show at fashion week, Bradon and Justin are awake and dressed at 2 a.m. Bradon is drinking coffee and while Justin sits in a dark corner of the room quietly freaking out. Full disclosure: We know this is a reality show, but we totally buy their anxiety. Is anyone else biting their finger nails? They round up their gear and head to Lincoln Center. As they walk into the first sprawling warehouse anchored with a white, empty runway, all of them fall into tears.

“I keep pinching myself,” Justin says. “I’ve never felt anything quite like this before.” It’s really very sweet, and for a short moment, all of the designers seem bonded, happy and at peace.

Minutes later, chaos ensues. Justin finds out that one of his models broke her ankle and he’s forced to find and fit an alternate. Bradon, after yelling at the models to please not eat so close to the clothes, finds a coffee stain on one of his dresses. He tries to dab and blow dry the stain out, but it’s relatively noticeable. How horrifying!

Justin is first up. His collection blends a lot of neutrals — girly creams and whites, soft beiges and browns — which leaves a little to be desired, but his unconventional finale dress is a true stunner and earns applause. Then, it’s time for Don, who introduces her collection as “Retro Redux.” The prints are to die for. They’re graphic, bold and rockstar ready. In fact, can’t you see Gwen Stefani in some of these pieces? Next up is Alexandria, who sends her unconventional look down the runway first. While it certainly makes a strong opening statement, what follows is a tad boring and looks like anything you could buy at Maje. Man, so much for wow factor! Last to go is Bradon, whose springtime wonderland ends the show on the a fabulous and pretty note. Some of the fabrics look a little strange (dare we say, aquatic?) in the harsh runway light, but he and Tim seem thrilled with the effect, so maybe it’s just us.

After the crowds leave, it’s time judgment day. Justin earns high marks for his “gentle architecture,” as Nina says, but could have pushed the envelope a little bit further. Similarly, Bradon gets praise for being courageous and meticulous, but Nina (again) believes he lacked focus and the line wasn’t cohesive. Frankly, the judges have next to no criticism for Dom’s collection because she took risks with bold prints and modern silhouettes – and succeeded. And of course, it is distinctly and authentically Dom, which we’ve learned is a key to winning them over. Alexandria’s line gets mixed reviews. While the panel admits she has definitely improved – Nina commends her styling, saying it would be perfect for an editorial shoot — it seems like no one judge was particularly blown away by any one garment. That’s not a good sign.

The last step is for each designer to explain why they feel they deserve to win this season. Unsurprisingly, pretty much everyone has a mini breakdown on stage (and, um, was anyone else weeping during these monologues? Just us?). Bradon’s story tugs at our heartstrings a bit, because you can tell he feels so grateful to have discovered a second love. But Dom’s pitch is the strongest; she’s got unmistakable energy, and watching her is infectious.

“It’s not like, I need to make money,” she tells them. “It’s like, I need life. This is my life.”

After the designers leave the runway, the judges huddle to make their final decision. It’s almost immediately clear that Justin and Alexandria are out. Even though Nina and Heidi are big fans, Zac thinks both of them need more time to develop as designers. Particularly with Alexandria, he questions if it is enough to make clothes that are hip and marketable, but not necessarily innovative.

Ultimately, it seems that Bradon, who has been a frontrunner all season, may have lost his edge with this collection. They knock him for losing focus in the final challenge, and he is the first to get booted. After him goes Justin, who naturally takes his elimination in stride. It is down to Alexandria and Dom, and boy oh boy are we relieved to hear when it’s Dom. Because she really earned it, don’t you think?

In tears, Dom comes to grips with the fact that she has won the competition, and that her prize includes the tools to build her own collection (half a million bucks, and that’s the tip of the iceberg). Nina seems particularly proud. “Congratulations, girl,” she tells her. “You were fearless, you were bold, you did it.”

“This is huge for me,” Dom says. “I’m going to sleep a lot, and then I’m going to pick it up and get right to work on my next collection.”